Sri Lanka

Torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment were widely documented in Sri Lanka during and in the immediate aftermath of the 30-year civil war. In 2015, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) found that male detainees “…were as likely to be subjected to sexual violence as female detainees.” The OISL also concluded that incidents of sexual violence were not isolated acts but part of a deliberate policy to inflict torture and instill fear. Despite the new government’s commitment to a zero tolerance policy on sexual violence and gender-based violence, there is evidence that abduction, arbitrary detention, torture and rape have continued in the post-war period. In this section we compile UN documentation on sexual violence against men and boys in the context of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.